I literally cannot focus when I’m reading online for some reason + I love looking at my books on my bookshelf, it makes me feel smart
Why not an ereader ? Don’t need to connect that to internet and epaper screen is great.
Ebooks really grew on me as of late. They are just way too convenient + easy to pirate
Yup. Plus I can adjust font size for optimal reading. I have an old ass kindle and it’s great for reading books. Sucks for reading PDFs though
You can covert PDFs to epubs with varying success
My kindle can’t read epubs, only mobi. And pdf convertion usually doest do very well, formatting usually ends up fucked
Physical books are great. But moving them is an absolute nightmare.
I had a bad falling out with a flatmate years ago and I basically had to say “fuck it” to maybe hundreds of books collected over a decade. It was my liberal phase, so I don’t know how much of it I’d like to have now. The break made me the communist I am today, so I can’t say I’m that sad.
I feel like we all have the dream of having a massive library room of our own, but who the fuck can afford that nowadays.
Before I packed up to go travelling China I resolved to give away all my books to charity (barring a very select few that went to friends for safe keeping).
Asides from it being absolute murder to move them, they acted as a really good history of how I’ve changed as a person. A lot of liberal bullshit books amongst what a gave away that I was genuinely upset to be giving to anyone. I should have burned them
this is the process I went through recently when I found Bernie’s 2018 book Where We Go From Here: Two Years in The Resistance on my bookshelf. I have a deep-seated block against burning books but I think I might work through it for this one
Too true. I have a pretty big collection of TTRPG books that are all fat hardcovers that look nice but moving them upstairs was rough.
I can’t afford physical books
I love physical books! The way they look on my shelves, the way they feel in my hand, the vibe I get while reading them. However, I can’t ignore the convenience of my e-reader. It is great being able to have my whole library with me on the go.
So I would have to say both have then place. I still shop at book stores every chance I get, then I come home and pirate the same book for my e-reader.
I was listening to a podcast yesterday, and the two hosts, who have both written books, made a brief aside complaining about people pirating their books.
And I think they were failing to understand that, if I pirate your book and I really like it… I’ll probably go out and buy a physical copy for myself. Or vice vera. I bought your book, but I want it on my ereader. Pirate it.
It’s no different from the sales “lost” when people freely check out a book from the library. In fact, it will increase exposure to your book.
Lots of people have become incredibly successful, because their art got known through piracy networks. Think Metallica playing stadiums off the back of tape trading.
We talk all the time about how “piracy is media preservation” which is true, but it’s also a form of media discovery, and I think we should talk about that more.
Especially small niche authors, I always try to buy a physical copy directly from them or from a non corporate bookstore.
If it’s like Asimov or Tolkien, I’m stealing that shit because their estates and shitty kids don’t need the couple cents the sale would yield them.
That argument is the exact same one Netflix uses when they whine about “losing” money because peoole share accounts.
They aren’t “losing” anything because if it wasn’t free, most people would just do without. Like im not buying a fiction book if I don’t know if ill like it, if I cant get it for free in some way, im just not reading it.
If I really like it I will buy a copy though
I think part of the reason I really even got back into reading was because I picked up an ereader after learning about libgen. I’m actually mad I waffled on getting one so long since I turned into a reading champ like overnight because of it. I went from reading no books to reading 30 or so in the first year I bought it.
besides piracy, it’s so convenient having your whole library with you. Get bored with something on the train? You don’t have to wait to get home to switch. I do like a dedicated device for books though, for focus reasons.
Ebooks, super easy to pick up and put down, and the E-Ink display solves the “can’t focus” problem. I read theory on my phone though, a chapter at a time, I am working my way through a theory list that way. I find pockets of time, like traveling for work, lunch breaks, and other times I don’t have my books or EReader with me, and I can’t physically make myself sit and read theory for an extended time anyways like I can with good fiction.
Another huge advantage is the monetary value. Ebooks are free, especially public domain. My favorite site for high quality ebooks is Standard Ebooks. I can get whatever I want, read as much as I like, for the single purchase of an EReader and the time it takes to cultivate my Calibre library.
However, if I am alone, with a nice cup of coffee or an espresso in a nice morning, physical books are hard to beat. Same goes for some nice piano jazz, a glass of whiskey, and my favorite books in the evening. The latest to really get me that way was Piranesi. Turning the physical page, smelling the paper, it’s relaxation at its finest.
I am thrilled to have rediscovered my childhood love for reading, it truly helps me in so many ways.
Ebooks are free,
ALL OF 'EM
I still like to support living authors if I can
There have been a few times where I yoinked a book, read the whole thing, and then bought a copy fwiw. I try to support indies and such when I can, although I am very broke.
Oh I did that with Piranesi, yoinked it, loved it, bought it for my partner to read physically. Still, don’t have the money I wish I did so I could support everyone, sadly
I liked ebooks when I had 'em. Still have all my stuff, too, in case I get another one.
But there’s a certain joy in having a physical copy. Similarly to OP’s point about looking at them on a bookshelf, I like looking at and interpreting cover art. I like showing off cool and unique covers. Plus, there’s a certain satisfaction in physically handing someone a book I’ve recommended. Sending a file just isn’t the same.
Physical! Physical! I hate how libraries will get ebooks and then that’s what I’m supposed to learn from. I hate tabbing back and forth between the “”“book”“” and the browser. I hate having to scroll through a list of bookmarks, I hate not being able to hold my fingers in several places within the book at the same time so I can quickly switch back and forth. I can’t imagine how people google, read and take notes all on the same device. If I had the time and resources I would set up a sewing machine so I can print and bind my own books.
I like my Kobo ereader a lot, but for those books I really enjoy/are important to me I want a bookshelf copy.
can I ask which kobo you have? I’m trying to pick one.
can I ask which kobo you have? I’m trying to pick one.
Yeah I’ve got the Kobo Clara 2e.
I like to bounce between both. For some reason some days I can’t do physical books but digital, but then other days I can’t do digital and need physical.
My trusty ereader is the reason I’ve read more books in the past two years than I had in the prior ten before that. This is kinda hard to describe but my favorite feature is the ergonomic freedom they provide. I like to curl up in weird positions when reading or phonescrolling and traditional books aren’t really conducive to that. With a bookybook you have to use both hands, you have to get them in the light, and they tend to require me to sit upright. With an ereader I can lie on my side in bed at night with the lights off while hugging a pillow and that shit is so fucking cozy.
All that being said, things like cookbooks, manuals, field guides and such basically require physical books to be useful IMO.
would you have any e-reader recommendations? I’ve been interested in finding one that I can pirate epubs and stuff onto
Any kobo, software support a decade later, less intrusive ads than kindle and can sideload ebooks with ease
I’m not exactly up to date on the current market but I can offer this:
Most eReaders have .epub capability, with the notable exception of the ones made by Amazon so you have a pretty wide selection to choose from. I have a Nook Glowlight 4e which serves me well. It’s very barebones and has downright abysmal notetaking features but it has a backlight, physical buttons (super underrated), a long battery life, and font options so it’s fine for lesiure reading. More modern devices have things like higher screen refresh rates, higher resolution, and more app connectivity. Note that some devices are compatible with ebook lending systems run through public libraries, if that interests you then by all means look into it, one of the best ways to support your local library is to use their services.
All that being said, if you’re anticipating only loading books on manually then you would be fine with getting an older secondhand device on the cheap. IMO the most meaningful difference between “obsolete” and modern devices is access to online bookstores.
Depends on the topic. For instance, i prefer physically reading books I borrow from the library for anything about economics or theory, because i feel like I can better focus on the physical text. Meanwhile the 900 page massive history book (about the Spanish Civil War) that I was recommended on GenZedong 4 years ago was not even available in my country and so I had to find it as an Ebook.
ebbok. it’s cheaper in the long run, easier to carry around (on public transport for instance), can highlight and bookmark easily
